Wednesday, January 18, 2012

It's a cold day here today.Most the animals have decided to stay in the barn where it's nice and cozy. The only critters you will see outside are the dogs and the sheep, since they both cannot feel the cold much.So this gave me an opportunity to snap a few pictures as I was walking around the farm.

Its Lambing season soon.This Ewe had only one baby a few days ago. Twins are more common.These are Jacobs sheep, They are usually spotted or have patches of black or brown. Usually we get one or two all white lambs out of 60 or so babies. I love the white babies, They remind me of the Snuggle bear.

This is how pigs stay warm.
These are the Pot Belly pigs. Don't they look cozy all snuggled up together?

Did you spot this little guy in the pile? He has the best spot in the group and is buried in warmth

The chickens were all lined up in a row, They were trying to keep warm in this little bit of sun coming through the barn doors.

It's too cold for Josie and Elle May, So they peek outside. The cold doesn't seem to bother Bella. Notice their Fat bellies. They are due to kid in a few weeks.

Alex our Mini Nubian Buck and the girls, minus Lily and Violet who were hiding.

Alex is a silly boy. He loves to play with me whenever I come in the pen. This might not be a good habit to start with him but he cracks me up and he is a harmless sweet boy. He is a Ham, But what Buck isn't. That's why I love them so much.

Ive been going outside several times a day to check on Josie and Elle. They are Due February 22nd. I think Alex may have gotten to them earlier, as they are showing signs that it may be closer than what I thought. I cannot wait for cute Lil Mini Nubian floppy eared babies!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

I love the idea of reusing and recycling everyone's so called garbage into something useful and at the same time saving us tons of money.Ive been known to garbage pick, and stop on the side of the road when I see an old window or something useful.
While I was browsing around on the black hole called "Pinterest" The site of distraction – sucking me into its greatness for hours on end. I stumbled upon a bunch of photo's of people reusing and recycling Pallets into pure awesomeness. And with projects that never seem to end around here and a very tight budget, we began our search for these useful pieces of greatness.

I see so many pallets going to waste, When they could be turned into such amazing things
Here are a few facts about Pallets in America:

*200 Million - # of trees that are logged every year for pallets*500,000 - # of trees are felled every day for pallets*40% - Overall US wood consumption % for pallets

So we scored big time and brought home a trailer full of Pallets. we have a few projects in mind.

*First on the list are compost bins, Super easy to do with pallets*Next is a milk shed, Since my doe's are due in a month I will need a place to milk them.

*And the 3rd and biggest project is a pallet greenhouse.

( Should take awhile)

So instead of buying wood we vow to save as many pallets from the landfill as we can.
I will be putting up the finished projects on the blog as they are finished because "man time" as I call it is precious around here, and we never seem to have enough of it. Brad is a working machine and I can only do so much without a man around lol.

So here is the simple Pallet compost bins done with 5 pallets joined with L brackets and screws. This was so easy that my mom and I were able to just slap it together. And with this Oddly warm January weather we were able to do this. And paint it!! Never have I said I was able to paint outside in the middle of a Midwestern winter!

This is the front side facing the road. We stained it to match.

The inside

Next is the milking shed which we have started on already. Pics to come!

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Ahhh the country life,Isn't anything better! Brad and I live on 25 acres In Geneseo Illinois,And love it! We Grow and sell Naturally grown fresh produce,free range, grass fed eggs,Free range Lamb,As well as free ranged meat chickens at our local farmer's market. Its a lot of work but we have a great time doing what we love and meeting local people in our area with the same interests and a love for Naturally grown Local food!